Bono's latest gig: the council

Bono hopes to give a rare performance in Dublin this week, but don't expect to hear any of the rock star's greatest hits.

The U2 front man is instead hoping to appear before planning officials in the latest bid to win approval for a €150m (£120m) plan to expand his Clarence Hotel in Dublin.

Bono, The Edge, U2's guitarist, and a group of investors have drawn up plans with architect Sir Norman Foster for an ambitious redevelopment, which includes a vast glass atrium in the shape of a Viking longboat.

The plan has been given the go-ahead by Dublin City Council but must be approved by the An Bord Pleanala, an Irish government body that deals with planning appeals.

The project, which involves the partial demolition of several large Georgian buildings that surround the existing Clarence site in trendy Wellington Quay, has drawn the ire of local preservation groups.

Bono is in Dublin consulting with lawyers and architects. 'This meeting is very important to him,' said a source close to Bono.